28.10.04
IOL
Armed men kidnap Irish woman in Afghan capital
28/10/2004 - 12:22:04
An Irish woman was among three foreign election workers kidnapped by armed men in the Afghan capital, Kabul, today.
They were seized as they drove in a white UN 4X4 vehicle, the United Nations and Afghan officials said.
An election official said the victims were all women and were believed to include one Irish citizen and one Croatian.
UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva confirmed the abductions but declined to identify the victims or give their nationalities.
The motive for the attack was not clear, but Taliban rebels have in the past kidnapped Westerners, and the US embassy had issued a warning earlier this month that abductions might be attempted surrounding the October 9 presidential vote.
Abdul Hadi Qasemi, an Afghan working for UN security, said the three were stopped and abducted by five gunmen. He said the driver of the UN car was also missing.
UN security staff later ringed the white vehicle, found on a dusty street near an office of the joint UN-Afghan electoral body set up to oversee the presidential vote.
The car, clearly marked with the world body’s initials, had its doors locked and there was no sign of any struggle.
Police said officers manning checkpoints around the city and in neighbouring provinces were alerted to check the identity of any foreigners passing their posts.
Two Nato helicopter gunships were circling over the city.
The three were driven away in a dark-coloured 4X4 vehicle in the direction of Paghman, a district in the west of Kabul province that is considered rife with banditry, said Abdul Jamil, head of the city police’s criminal department.
Police said officers manning checkpoints around the city and in neighbouring districts including Paghman were alerted to check the identity of any foreigners passing their posts.
Nato armed vehicles were stationed on street corners in the city’s upmarket Wazir Akbar Khan district, where many aid workers and diplomats live.
Afghan security forces were stopping cars and questioning the passengers.
Armed men kidnap Irish woman in Afghan capital
28/10/2004 - 12:22:04
An Irish woman was among three foreign election workers kidnapped by armed men in the Afghan capital, Kabul, today.
They were seized as they drove in a white UN 4X4 vehicle, the United Nations and Afghan officials said.
An election official said the victims were all women and were believed to include one Irish citizen and one Croatian.
UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva confirmed the abductions but declined to identify the victims or give their nationalities.
The motive for the attack was not clear, but Taliban rebels have in the past kidnapped Westerners, and the US embassy had issued a warning earlier this month that abductions might be attempted surrounding the October 9 presidential vote.
Abdul Hadi Qasemi, an Afghan working for UN security, said the three were stopped and abducted by five gunmen. He said the driver of the UN car was also missing.
UN security staff later ringed the white vehicle, found on a dusty street near an office of the joint UN-Afghan electoral body set up to oversee the presidential vote.
The car, clearly marked with the world body’s initials, had its doors locked and there was no sign of any struggle.
Police said officers manning checkpoints around the city and in neighbouring provinces were alerted to check the identity of any foreigners passing their posts.
Two Nato helicopter gunships were circling over the city.
The three were driven away in a dark-coloured 4X4 vehicle in the direction of Paghman, a district in the west of Kabul province that is considered rife with banditry, said Abdul Jamil, head of the city police’s criminal department.
Police said officers manning checkpoints around the city and in neighbouring districts including Paghman were alerted to check the identity of any foreigners passing their posts.
Nato armed vehicles were stationed on street corners in the city’s upmarket Wazir Akbar Khan district, where many aid workers and diplomats live.
Afghan security forces were stopping cars and questioning the passengers.
